As most of you know, Kilkenny is a province of Leinster in our little modest country. Kilkenny is sometimes known as The Marble City. It’s a well preserved medieval town and grew from a monastic settlement to a thriving Norman merchant town in the Middle Ages.

However, I’m not here to discuss Kilkenny’s ancient history, in today’s article, I will be talking about the fun family activities you can get up to in the beautiful town of Kilkenny.

Castlecomer Discovery Park

Castlecomer Discovery Park is a young park, opened since 2007. Set in a beautiful 80 acre woodland, Castlecomer Discovery Park boasts an exciting range of recreational and educational activities. It boasts to be suitable for all ages, which makes this a fun trip for the whole family.

From my understanding, you can do adventure walks together, archery, boating, a high ropes course, even zip-line over water and much much more. Castlecomer operates on a not for profit basis and won the 2015 Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce Business Award for Culture/Heritage Tourism.

Ballybur Castle

Ballybur Castle is a five storey 16th century towerhouse and has been restored to its former authentic glory using the same techniques and materials as the original 16th century builders. This place has grand rooms for people to stay in for a short family getaway and has lots of things around the area for people to do and see.

It’s the perfect location to get away from it all and spend some quality time together as a family, while soaking up some of the history the Castle has to offer.

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny Castle was built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways, but since has become a tourist destination and a huge part of Kilkenny itself. It has many attractions on the ground such as; an art gallery and a playground for your young ones, so not matter what you will all be occupied.

It’s important to note that many important programmes of archaeological excavation, conservation, and restoration have been carried out at Kilkenny Castle, so this family trip is sure to provide you with an interesting insight into the heart of Kilkenny.

Zuni Restaurant

After you have soaked up all that Kilkenny has to offer, you need somewhere to eat right? Well, look no further, this restaurant is well-known for its hearty food and has something for the whole family to enjoy and it’s located right in the city centre, which makes it easy to find.

It claims to be, “Sophisticated yet informal, with a menu that lends a gourmet touch to hearty, comfort food such as strip steak with onions and roast mushroom gravy on focaccia.” Sounds delightful.

Dunmore Cave

History and geology blend at Dunmore Cave to give an interesting and unique insight into this Kilkenny landmark. This Cave contains loads of chambers that were formed over millions of years and archeologists have found evidence of Viking activity at the Cave. You can only visit this site with a guide to show you around. According to sources, the show cave is very well done and has an exhibition centre.

The Interactive Virtual Museum consists of several treasures found in the Cave including one of the most significant Viking finds in the country. So, if you and your family are looking for something different to do, I would definitely recommend checking this out.

Kilkenny Ghost Walking Tour

I know this might sound like something you don’t want your family to have any part in, but it is family friendly and allows you to explore the local streets on a walking tour. On this tour, you will hear tales and folklore handed down through the generations, such as the curse of Sir Richard Shee and Dame Alice Ketyler’s infamous witch trial in the 14th century. You may even encounter the ghostly presence of the highwayman, James Freney, the Irish Robin hood, the monk and the Dr. Death.

It sounds spooky, but I’m sure you’ll have fun on this interesting activity.

Go With The Flow – River Adventures

Lastly we have Go with the Flow. This is a family business that provides water based adventures like whitewater trips and nature/history tours, which are all guided by qualified and experienced instructors.

This is suitable for all ages and family friendly. This activity boasts something different every day; the level of the water, the colour of the trees, the standing wave at the bottom of the weir, the swim down the rapids, will the otter be out, will we see the Kingfisher diving, something you’ll have to see for yourselves.

Now that the holidays have finished, and everything is slowly returning to its usual routine. It... more»

Fun Family Friendly Activities to do in Kilkenny

May 10, 2018 (No Comments) by Tahlia Peppard

As most of you know, Kilkenny is a province of Leinster in our little modest country. Kilkenny is sometimes known as The Marble City. It’s a well preserved medieval town and grew from a monastic settlement to a thriving Norman merchant town in the Middle Ages.

However, I’m not here to discuss Kilkenny’s ancient history, in today’s article, I will be talking about the fun family activities you can get up to in the beautiful town of Kilkenny.

Castlecomer Discovery Park

Castlecomer Discovery Park is a young park, opened since 2007. Set in a beautiful 80 acre woodland, Castlecomer Discovery Park boasts an exciting range of recreational and educational activities. It boasts to be suitable for all ages, which makes this a fun trip for the whole family.

From my understanding, you can do adventure walks together, archery, boating, a high ropes course, even zip-line over water and much much more. Castlecomer operates on a not for profit basis and won the 2015 Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce Business Award for Culture/Heritage Tourism.

Ballybur Castle

Ballybur Castle is a five storey 16th century towerhouse and has been restored to its former authentic glory using the same techniques and materials as the original 16th century builders. This place has grand rooms for people to stay in for a short family getaway and has lots of things around the area for people to do and see.

It’s the perfect location to get away from it all and spend some quality time together as a family, while soaking up some of the history the Castle has to offer.

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny Castle was built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways, but since has become a tourist destination and a huge part of Kilkenny itself. It has many attractions on the ground such as; an art gallery and a playground for your young ones, so not matter what you will all be occupied.

It’s important to note that many important programmes of archaeological excavation, conservation, and restoration have been carried out at Kilkenny Castle, so this family trip is sure to provide you with an interesting insight into the heart of Kilkenny.

Zuni Restaurant

After you have soaked up all that Kilkenny has to offer, you need somewhere to eat right? Well, look no further, this restaurant is well-known for its hearty food and has something for the whole family to enjoy and it’s located right in the city centre, which makes it easy to find.

It claims to be, “Sophisticated yet informal, with a menu that lends a gourmet touch to hearty, comfort food such as strip steak with onions and roast mushroom gravy on focaccia.” Sounds delightful.

Dunmore Cave

History and geology blend at Dunmore Cave to give an interesting and unique insight into this Kilkenny landmark. This Cave contains loads of chambers that were formed over millions of years and archeologists have found evidence of Viking activity at the Cave. You can only visit this site with a guide to show you around. According to sources, the show cave is very well done and has an exhibition centre.

The Interactive Virtual Museum consists of several treasures found in the Cave including one of the most significant Viking finds in the country. So, if you and your family are looking for something different to do, I would definitely recommend checking this out.

Kilkenny Ghost Walking Tour

I know this might sound like something you don’t want your family to have any part in, but it is family friendly and allows you to explore the local streets on a walking tour. On this tour, you will hear tales and folklore handed down through the generations, such as the curse of Sir Richard Shee and Dame Alice Ketyler’s infamous witch trial in the 14th century. You may even encounter the ghostly presence of the highwayman, James Freney, the Irish Robin hood, the monk and the Dr. Death.

It sounds spooky, but I’m sure you’ll have fun on this interesting activity.

Go With The Flow – River Adventures

Lastly we have Go with the Flow. This is a family business that provides water based adventures like whitewater trips and nature/history tours, which are all guided by qualified and experienced instructors.

This is suitable for all ages and family friendly. This activity boasts something different every day; the level of the water, the colour of the trees, the standing wave at the bottom of the weir, the swim down the rapids, will the otter be out, will we see the Kingfisher diving, something you’ll have to see for yourselves.